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“You caught Clark burglarizing a house?”

“I did.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”

Quinn sighed. “I’d have had to explain what I was doing there. To admit I was still, er, acting out.”

“Soyougot blamed for burglariesClarkwas committing?”

Quinn said ruefully, “Let’s not forget, Iwasbreaking into houses. I wasn’t taking anything, but I’m not sure it really makes it a lot better.”

Probably not. Hard to say what would have become of Quinn if Jim hadn’t come along that dark stretch of highway when he did.

Andy said, “Great training for the spy biz, though.”

“Yeah. It was.” Quinn’s tone changed, grew businesslike. “Anyway, good job cracking the case. I’ll pass the word along.”

“Thanks.” Andy was trying to think of a way to suggest he’d rethought his plans for the holiday.

“Say hi to Cutty for me.”

“I’ll do that.” He opened his mouth to say…something.

“Talk soon.” Quinn ended the call.

So that was that. More than a little anticlimactic after Andy’s epiphany in Uncle C.’s apartment, but what had he expected, really?

Laughter echoed from Uncle C.’s hospital room.

That was bewildering enough.

Even more surprising was the sight of Uncle C. conscious, sitting up, and holding Miriam Labelle’s hand. They appeared to be enjoying a very good joke on the rest of the world. Uncle C., still bruised and battered, but, incredibly, looking like his almost-normal self, glanced at the door, and his thin face lit up.

“Andy.My boy.” He held out a frail-looking hand, but his grip, when Andy reached him, was reassuringly firm. “My dear,dearboy.”

Just that—Uncle C. awake and alert—was enough to start tears in Andy’s eyes. In fact, embarrassingly, it was all he could do not to start bawling like he was six years old again, the summer was over, and it was time to leave Uncle C. and return “home.”

Uncle C., like always, saw too much. He hugged Andy with surprising strength and exclaimed, “You poor kid. You’ve been through the wars. Miriam’s been telling me all about it.”

Andy greeted Miriam, who said in answer to Uncle C., “I probably don’t know half of it. But it’s all anyone’s talking about. Especially after Chief Millard was taken in for questioning.”

“That part was a mistake,” Andy admitted.

“You mean like arresting Quinn Rafferty?” Miriam asked tartly.

“Pretty much, yes.”

“Then I call that justice served. Everyone in town knows Ray always had a blind spot where Quinn was concerned. Maybe this will teach him a good lesson.”

Uncle C. said, “I wouldn’t bet on it. He’s a stubborn old coot.”

“Says the other stubborn old coot.”

Andy couldn’t help smiling, watching Uncle C. and Miriam amiably bickering. Sometimes it took a crisis to separate the wheat from the chaff.

“I think it means a lot that Quinn came back to Safehaven after all his adventures,” Uncle C. said meaningfully to Andy.

“It means he inherited a valuable piece of real estate,” Andy retorted.